Minty Calamari
Minty is a mermaid turned two-legged pirate and fortune telling scammer. After getting arrested for unknowingly try to rob a marine for his dagger, she was sent to prison. But unbeknownst to her, that was where her story would begin... Background Before her time on land, Minty Calamari was just another mermaid living in the crystal waters of a river running through some unknown valley. The deep trenches in which she lived was occupied by other mermaids that specialized in the arts pertaining to divination and aquatic arcana. Growing up, Minty learned such things are fortune telling, siren serenades, palm and star readings. Because of this, she has spent much of her time with the elder witches, learning the way of the finer arts, and unknowingly, her flair for reading cards and stones as well as omens would soon come in handy. A curious creature by nature though, one of the few times she would venture to the water's surface, she would find herself ensnared by some ambitious fishermen with other motives than just fishing. Instead of being caught and sold to the highest bidder, she was taken hostage in a giant fishbowl and essentially kept as a pet aboard their ship. During the brief time in such unusual captivity, she learned the language of humans and through gaining an unexpected friendship with one of the fisherman's children, she would find her escape to freedom. Unfortunately, between then and now, the fishermen had sailed from the rivers of Minty's home, right into the deep seas of the unknown. And so, upon her escaping a life of being fed crumbs and being stared at through a tank, the freshwater mermaid was dumped into an ocean full of salt. Practically suffocating from an almost fast acting dehydration, Minty barely escaped with her life swimming her way to shore. While her human half had mostly weathered the storm, her tail did not. But fortunately for her, she washed up to an area where she would eventually be discovered by a much kinder, and helpful pair of scientists. And though they were not able to reverse the effects of all the salt retention, they could, however, give Minty something [ or two] in place of her one limb... This was made possible by a currently hot trend in bone splicing. Ultimately for Minty, this meant saying goodbye to her tail and ever returning to life as a mermaid. The two fledgling men of science found that the length of her spinal vertebrae did not stop at the pelvis but rather it extended nearly the whole way through the tail. Meaning, to completely sever the bone network would result in permanent paralysis. So instead, they tested out the concept of bone splicing by splitting the last ligament located at the joint connecting the fin. When they had found that Minty still retained feeling and the ability to move, they slowly worked their way up her tail, assuring that circulation and movement were still responsive. Once doing so, it resulted in an operation that entailed cutting away the fin, removing most of the muscle and cartilage comprising her tail, and grafting on a pair of leg transplants. The ending result took a little more than a year, with an entire summer dedicated to Minty undergoing physical therapy in learning how to walk. It wasn't long before the erstwhile mermaid was running around the labs and wreaking havoc like any two-legged woman in her twenties could. However, what proved to be even harder than learning to move with two tails was surviving in the world of man. Which then came in her talent for telling fortunes, hypnotizing people with her voice as she told said fortunes and robbed them for whatever they had. And while it wasn't the most squeaky clean of occupations or getting around, it worked for her, and Minty benefitted in more ways than one with her little scam. That was until she tried doing it to a marine with a slight hearing problem but was good at faking it... Finding herself in prison now, Minty would pass her days singing and sweet talking guards to stay away from her. However, after witnessing a gruesome murder by the hand of a leggy lieutenant, she and several other inmates had decided it was time to go. Fast forward some weeks and a big explosion at the huge prison at East Blue, and Minty's out of prison with a brand new crew. With a talking tiger for a captain and some new friends, Minty found herself as the official money grubber and talented ship wench for the Chico Pirates! Together, she and her crew would go on some adventures, barely escaping with their lives while being hunted by the corrupt Marines and an obsessive and sadistic warden. Personality Minty is extremely whimsical. Growing up under the tutelage of unspoken languages and learning how to essentially read the signs, it's not exactly ideal for one to cultivate much of a personality. At times, she can come across as sweet and innocent, which to an extent she is. She loves her friends and will be loyal to anyone that is kind to her....well, most people anyway. But then, when it comes to getting around and trying to survive, her dark and crafty mind will rear its head. Other times, Minty will capitalize on her feminine charm to prey on men and undermine women to get out of a more sticky situation. It all just mostly depends on what's happening. The only trait that remains constant is her trying to emulate humans, and often times will mimic how they move and speak to be more convincing to other people. She's also known to steal people's hats. (The way your character acts, the mannerisms they may possess, and so on.) Abilities & Powers A little all over the place, there's nothing that Minty really specializes in apart from her fortune telling. After being cut loose from her year-long stint at the lab, Minty wound up living on the streets, and in turn learned everything she knows by doing so. From pickpocketing to a small bit of fighting to swordplay with a broom, Minty is more valued for being versatile and dabbling. One thing for sure though is her gift of gab and swimming. Like many mermaids, she can serenade with a hypnotic effect to whoever is within her vicinity. Minty could sing a man under the table if she isn't able to stop him in his tracks. However, with living in tougher, rougher conditions, singing or silence doesn't always cut it. And so over the months, she has been able to refine her siren's voice to still come through with just speaking. In an ideal situation, she can talk her way out of anything with her listener molding to whatever whim she demands of them. However, this doesn't work with everyone, and it isn't always consistently effective with the people it does work on. Normally, the duration of her first bout of speaking is enough to draw in her listener, but sometimes her talking longer or more melodically will do the trick. Ultimately, it comes down to the person. People who are not actively listening or know how to tune out what they hear are often impervious to her voice. But regardless of all that, Minty is most useful in the water. Despite losing her tail, the tiny gills all over her body are still present and she can breathe underwater. And of course, she is an excellent swimmer that can travel at top speeds and under some impressive pressures for prolonged amounts of time. 'Mermaid Techniques:' Underwater fluidity: Still having her gills and respiratory system in tact, any time Minty comes into contact with water on any level, she is still able to breathe, speak and function as normal. Other mermaid honed techniques, powers and abilities are also much more effective underwater in tandem with this natural ability *. Siren's Voice: *Through song or enhanced speech, Minty is able to induce nearby listeners and those within earshot into a hypnotic trance. While not always effective, it can sway the will of the victim or momentarily stun them if they hear her voice. Effectiveness will also depend on the loudness of her voice, tone and the listener. People who are aware of the ability, deaf or hearing impaired may still feel the vibration of her sound waves but is mostly useless to those who do not or cannot register sound. Mermaid Kick: *When underwater, Minty can shoot off into a rapid swim that allows her to cover long distances in a short amount of time under even most deepsea pressures. This has been a lifelong technique that she has learned to hone in both saltwater and fresh. This is also effective in large swimming pools or submersion into other liquids, but anything oil based or with a temperature that exceeds boiling point is null and can be dangerous to her. Whale Javelin: ** Having grown up under the natural pressure and resistances imposed by living underwater, Minty has an understated sense of strength that she can hone. Best used with projectiles, she winds her arm back to build up a simulation of pressure similar to water, pulsing back for several milliseconds before releasing through a thrust of her arm. The wind up in tandem with her muscle memory makes for an augmented boost in strength causing her to throw harder as if in water, causing the projectile to cut through distances at top speeds with a stronger stopping power. Best used for mid to long range with at least a few seconds for wiggle room. Voice of All Things : One of the primary arts that Minty learned from the sea witches had been a sensitivity to the supernatural and retrocognition through animals and ephemera. Armed with this ability to hear past language, Minty is able to communicate with non-human matter and in turn, understand it. It is also how she was able to learn the language of humans. 'Street Skills:' Meta Luck: Although this was initially taught to her by the witches of the trench, Minty has not been able to put much of it into effect until her time on land. Activated by a literal snap of her finger, she can suddenly find all future endeavors to be in her favor for X amount of time. However, this technique is extremely whimsical and can sometimes result in bad luck, it is possible for Minty to run out of luck or have none at all. Amount of luck and duration are entirely random. Pickpocket Punch: **Homegrown right on the streets, Minty has gentle hands with a velvety touch, being able to slip into pockets or swipe things off people easily. More commonly seen as a sucker punch, she goes in for a pilfer of one's change or snagging something from off an enemy, allowing their momentary distraction to utilize a shortened version of Whale Javelin with a hard left hook to the face, chest or stomach. Stone's Throw: Requiring the use of her tarot cards, Minty starts off at a run and uses her mermaid strength them to throw like flat rocks at people's legs and ankles to mess up their footing and distract them while sliding down and through the masses, instantaneously grabbing her cards back. Best used in crowds and with a crew helping present, but can be dangerous for Minty if the attention diverts to her instead. ~ Fishman Karate: Shark Bullet: Yabusame (矢武鮫 literally meaning "Arrow Military Shark"): Minty starts off by wetting her arm, then she uses her mermaid strength through built up pressure to throw many drops of water, which are converted into deadly arrows through mere kinetic force. This technique can also used underwater, using air bubbles instead of water droplets. Minty can also utilize this with sweat or other liquids such as tea or alcohol, but is most effective with normal fresh or seawater. Water shot: Uchimizu (撃水 literally meaning "Water Shot"): A more basic version of Yabusame, in which Minty only throws a single drop of water like a bullet/spear but with a tripled build up of water-based momentum. More penetrative force of this attack has increased in an unbelievable way, to the point where it could not only pierce through a person, but also through several structures and rock formations behind him, moving a long distance away from the location from which it was fired, and only then returning to its original state of drop and falling in the water. This can be used underwater with an air bubble, or on land with other liquids, she can also use this by spitting saliva with a halved effect. Fishy Plunge (圧迫死直下航路 "Death by Pressure Plunge"): Done underwater, Minty grabs an opponent then dives and or swims extremely fast to the ocean floor where the pressure of the ocean wreaks havoc on the opponent's body. This can also be done in ponds, lakes and rivers or other deep bodies of water but is most effective in the sea. Karakusagawara Seiken (唐草瓦正拳 "Arabesque Tile True Punch"): Minty punches at a fair distance from the intended target(s), transmitting the force of the blow through the water vapor in the air to release a shock wave that sends them flying. The farther the distance, the greater the impact, and areas especially wet or near water are twice as effective. Umidaiko (海太鼓 literally meaning "Ocean Drum"): Minty punches the water in front of her pushing it at her opponent and sending a shockwave through it. The shockwave hits the opponent dealing great damage and leaving a pressure mark on his body. Equipment *Weighted jeweled bag *Whalebone dagger *Ornate folding fan *Round wooden tarot cards Approved by Approved by Emi